SOTA c49s01
Text Luna Brynhild didn't want to wake up. Waking up would mean facing the world, and her failures, and everything she felt responsible for. And that simply felt like too much to ask of anyone: pony or Valkyrie or something even more... how could anyone hope to face the world after such a spectacular failure as the night before had been? Instead, she stayed in the silence, in the darkness, hidden away and trembling quietly. They could have done more... should have done more. Scrivener had been willing to embrace his own corruption, become a monster, but she had stayed back... she should have drank deep instead, bathed in the corruption, become Corrupt Luna again. If she could turn back time, she would give in entirely... become a monster alongside her husband to stop Thesis. Because the alternative that she knew she had to wake up to... it was so much worse. And the pony who had given the most up for them, at the end of the day... it had been Ersatz Major. In spite of everything that had been broken about her, whether she had been insane or not... she had truly loved Scrivener Blooms as family. She had thrown herself between him and Thesis, died on top of her cousin, a unicorn protecting her slave-hoof relative, proving that everything she'd said... maybe it was true. No, not all that crap about justice and revenge... but maybe everything else. That she cared. That Scrivener's family hadn't been all bad. That maybe, just maybe, Tia Belle... Luna shuddered and looked down, then looked up silently as a gentle hoof touched her back. Nightmare Moon was now seated beside her, scarred features strangely gentle as she smiled lovingly down at Luna, a monster that whispered in a compassionate, soft voice: “Now, Luna Lightblade, Luna Brynhild... there's no need for these tears. You live, and Scrivener lives. You hide away here in the darkness, but it's pointless: no matter where you lock yourself away in the abyss and the shadows, you know that you only hurt yourself. Scrivener Blooms and Twilight Sparkle both yearn for you. You're being silly, and worrying them more... go, go on. Go to the surface.” “No. I am not ready. I am afraid... I am... I feel like a failure.” Luna whispered, and Nightmare Moon shushed her gently, but Luna only gritted her teeth and turned her head away with a snarl. “And what does thou know? Thou art nothing but... pain and suffering and darkness; nay, thou art not darkness, but sadism and masochism all wrapped tightly up in twisted flesh and serpentine coils and demon's fangs! What does thou know of what I feel? Thou cannot fathom this agony in mine heart!” “To hurt over Ersatz Major is foolishness. That is all.” Nightmare Moon replied calmly, and Luna tried to pull away, but Nightmare Moon slid her foreleg up around her, hugging Luna forcefully but almost lovingly against her body as she smiled down at her, saying soothingly in her ear: “If you must feel for her, then feel happy, my sweet... did she not die a worthy death? Is she not free from her own suffering, and her own foolishness? There is no need to hurt over such a miracle.” Luna laughed dryly at this, keeping her head turned away as the dark entity of passion continued to hold her close, shivering and hating how this awful creature inside her was actually... comforting her. And then she clenched her eyes shut as Nightmare Moon murmured softly: “And besides, you have learned a valuable lesson from this, have you not? No longer can you or Scrivener Blooms afford to hold back... Thesis is too powerful. And too... deranged.” “Deranged.” Luna muttered, and she shuddered as this derailed her train of thoughts and any possible insults she had been about to spit at the dark entity. That was something else she direly didn't want to think about: a sane opponent was one thing, but Thesis... he was narcissistic, resorted quickly to violence when argued with, didn't understand the value of life or even that other people seemed to have minds and viewpoints of their own. She didn't want to imagine the kinds of delusions that plagued Thesis' mind... or what kind of sordid beliefs guided him. It sickened her to think of what Thesis' reaction had been to killing Ersatz had been. Over her many years alive, she had seen incredible cruelty; she had seen innocent lives butchered and destroyed and taken away by creatures that had taken pleasure in it, or simply dismissed them as unimportant or expendable. She had seen monsters that had enslaved and killed like they were doing righteous work, and twisted sadists who took pleasure in tormenting and ripping apart the very souls of their victims, to leave nothing but a hollow and broken shell behind. She had met inquisitors, torturers, killers, destroyers, and their betters and worsers... and yet nothing twisted her stomach so much as what she had seen in Thesis. It was because Thesis was a child. Thesis seemed to know, even with his broken and malformed moral compass, that what he was doing was wrong. And yet all the same, for narcissism, for his idea of greater good, with the excuse of 'chemicals' and 'emotions,' he went ahead and did it anyway. He had killed, then seemed honestly upset... and when they had refused to sympathize with him, screamed threats that he would kill them all. And Luna knew that... he would have. He would have butchered them all, if his emotions had seesawed just a little further, and regretted it even as he'd done so... yet for some twisted, horrible reason that Luna still couldn't wrap her mind around, he would have done it anyway, and then justified it. And killed anyone who didn't agree with him... who didn't... comfort him. Luna shook her head slowly, and Nightmare Moon rubbed her back gently before saying softly: “There is much ahead to face. There are many worries large and small to nip you, and threaten to work their way into your heart and mind. Don't let them, my sweet... instead, turn to our most beloved. There is hope there, for the future... much hope.” Nightmare Moon's eyes glittered, and Luna grimaced up at the creature before shaking her head quickly and looking away, muttering: “I am not ready yet. And nor do I believe the kind of help thou desires to bask in is the kind of help that I require at this moment, Nightmare Moon. Thou art acting like we have actually achieved something here. Like nothing was lost. Like...” Luna clenched her eyes shut, and Nightmare Moon smiled softly as she pulled her close, murmuring in her ear: “Doors close, but they are flimsy things... we can open them again, with the right tools, or the right application of force. I do not think of this as a loss... I think of this as a... a chance to explore another outlet of power...” Nightmare Moon licked her lips slowly, and Luna trembled before slowly staring up at her, whispering: “Hast thou gone insane? No, thou cannot even consider-” “Imagine how powerful we would become. Magic, that depends so much on a horn, so susceptible to the powers of others and our own failings... not like the corruption that flows in our husband's blood. And we become so powerful, with it flowing in our veins...” Nightmare Moon murmured, voice seductive, eyes alluring. “Is it not destiny? From the very start, we were attracted to Scrivener Blooms... let him in, while keeping all others out. From the very beginning, we slid into place together side-by-side, did we not? It was all too perfect... I think this is destiny. I think this is what we were meant, truly, to be...” Luna shivered and turned away, breathing hard in and out before Nightmare Moon smiled softly at her, then slowly drew backwards. The sapphire mare felt the creature's presence fading, but didn't dare look back, any more than she dared to let her mind think about all the things that Nightmare Moon had just silently promised... She sat alone in the endless darkness, eyes tightly closed... before looking up in surprise as a voice said softly: “There you are. I've been looking all over for you, Luna.” “Scrivener.” Luna murmured, looking silently over her shoulder at the stallion, in his strange, subconscious shape. They looked at each other for a few moments, and then Luna trembled a little before she scrambled to her hooves and ran over to him, and he caught her in his strong limbs and hugged her fiercely close. They held each other tightly, and there was silence for a few moments before Luna buried her face against his neck, breathing slowly and shivering once. Then she gritted her teeth before whispering: “Damn everything, Scrivener Blooms. Damn everything.” “I know. I know.” Scrivener murmured quietly, and then he pulled her a little closer, and Luna sighed softly, taking comfort in their bodies pressing together even as she silently beat a hoof against his chest, making him wince a bit before he said finally: “We should... we should try and wake up, Luna. It's not going to be any fun but... we have to at some point.” “Not yet.” Luna murmured, and Scrivener smiled faintly before she looked up into his eyes and said softly: “I am sorry.” “No, you don't have to be. I'm sorry that... you had to be the one protecting me again.” Scrivener said quietly, and Luna laughed faintly and shook her head slowly, before the stallion silently kissed her forehead, just beneath her horn... a horn Luna couldn't really feel anymore, even in the dreamworld. “We'll... we'll both do better next time, how about that?” “Aye. I agree.” Luna nodded, bowing her head against him silently for a moment, and then she sighed and added quietly: “But I still do not know whether or not I am ready to go back to the surface, Scrivener. Hast thou been there yet? Hast thou braved...” “No, hell no.” Scrivener replied, and Luna couldn't help but laugh a little despite herself, glancing up at him as he looked back down at her. “I spent most of my time... well... thinking, trying to pull myself together and... looking for you. It's... yeah. I mean, it is easier down here. You know that I wish sometimes we could just... dream forever. No more obligations, no more moral guidelines, no more worries. We could be whoever we wanted to be, do whatever we wanted to do... we could... live happily ever after.” Luna closed her eyes. It was compelling, always so compelling... and all the more so now that Twilight was linked with them, too. She thought after everything that had happened, her precious mare would understand very well why she and Scrivener spent so much time in the nightmares, no matter how twisted and strange they could become... Twilight Sparkle... maybe that was part of why Luna was so scared of going to the surface. She and Scrivener had been badly hurt, and that damage would have reflected onto Twilight, who was in such a sensitive state right now. She didn't want to think of the kind of state that Twilight might be in... she didn't want to face the idea that... their child... The sapphire mare swallowed thickly, then closed her eyes tightly and shivered once before Scrivener silently stroked one of his claws over her face, saying quietly: “If something like that happened, you and I both know we would have felt it. And we'd both be there at Twilight's side immediately, wouldn't we?” The winged unicorn nodded without hesitation, and then she sighed softly and closed her eyes before murmuring: “Aye... and... I realize that we have been selfish, too, have we not? Thinking of ourselves and each other, leaving Twilight to suffer...” “Twilight... I don't think she was hurt as badly as us, somehow. I know that when we get battered, she feels it too, but... I haven't seen any glimpses of her. And we've been down in these shadows for a while now, haven't we?” Scrivener said quietly, and Luna nodded hesitantly before they met each other's eyes. “But you're right, too, and I shouldn't just... make excuses for us. Let's go then. Let's go find Twilight and... make sure she's okay.” Luna nodded, and then the two embraced tightly before the mare took a slow breath and whispered: “But I will need thee by my side, Scrivy. I will need much, with... with my horn...” “We'll figure it out.” Scrivener promised quietly, and Luna wouldn't have believed those words from anyone else... but from him, they resonated with truth, and she nodded slowly and gazed up at him with trust in her eyes before he smiled faintly, taking her face gently in his claws and kissing her forehead softly. “I'll see you on the surface.” Luna nodded again, but she lingered for a moment, watching as Scrivener faded into the darkness around her, before she bit her lip and trembled once. She still didn't want to leave... but she knew she had to. For Twilight Sparkle, for Scrivener Blooms, for... herself. She had to face this, no matter how much it would hurt. No matter how much it scared her. Luna Brynhild took a slow breath, then rose her head and closed her eyes... and there was a sharp, immediate pulse of agony before her eyes snapped open even as her vision became dark blurs, as she coughed and trembled, almost convulsing once as she fell backwards... then gritted her teeth as she blinked rapidly and gasped harshly once, another shiver wracking her body before she whispered: “Damnation. Oh, damnation.” She blinked blearily as the world faded into view around her: she was laying in bed, but as she shifted back and forth slowly, she realized she had no idea... where the hell she was. The ceiling was listless gray: not the library ceiling, certainly not the ceiling of her room at home, and not a hospital ceiling, either... She tried to sit up a bit, and cursed quietly in pain, shivering once as she fell back on the bed and coughed weakly. Her whole body throbbed, but her head... her head felt worse than simple pain. Luna trembled as she reached a hoof slowly, carefully up, and swept it over her skull... and felt nothing. No familiar tap against her horn... nothing but... She moaned in her throat, then swallowed thickly before cursing and forcing herself to sit up, trying to concentrate on something else, anything else, out of what almost felt like desperation. Her mane spilled over her shoulders, and she frowned at this feeling before reaching up and brushing it back... then staring and shivering as she realized it was light blue hair, not... ethereal energy. So that meant her magic... Luna swallowed and looked hurriedly away, turning her eyes back and forth... but there wasn't much to see. A slate-gray room, almost a cell, with a large crystal lantern on one wall casting almost-eerie light over the area. There was a table across the room with a single chair, covered with bandages and medical instruments and... and with a single jar on it, where, floating in the red, was... was... The mare turned her eyes away, almost gagging... before she looked up in shock as a soft voice asked: “Do you need help, Mistress Luna?” In the open doorway, a Nightmare stood, looking at her with soft compassion. Luna's eyes couldn't entirely focus on it, though... it was blurry. In fact, most things in her vision seemed a little... skewed, disjointed, like she was looking at things through a fisheye lens. Or like, while her back had been turned, the entire world had gotten all twisted upside down and now... now... The Nightmare leaned forwards almost with concern, and Luna shook her head before asking weakly: “Where am I? Where is my husband, and Twilight Sparkle? Celestia and...” “All is well, Mistress Luna. We are in Subterra, and this is the Cathedral of Small Mercies. Our version of a... hospital, if you will.” the Nightmare soothed, and then it smiled kindly as it stepped forwards. “It is very new... not yet even half complete. But while sparse, it is irradiated with energies that we believe will help you and your husband heal. “Scrivener Blooms is in the room next to yours. Twilight Sparkle is being watched over by Selene herself in the Pool of Tears, to keep her body stable and regenerating. She has spent the past week there, healing and refreshing herself, sleeping often.” the Nightmare said softly, and Luna looked up in surprise. “Yes. It has been some time.” “Damnation.” Luna muttered, and then she sighed tiredly and lowered her head before prompting: “And... what of Celestia, then? How did we even come to be in this place?” “The Dawn Bringer has recovered well. She has been staying in Subterra, and checks in on you often, as do the others.” The Nightmare smiled softly after a moment. “Much bad has happened, but we are finding solutions for all that threaten us, Mistress Luna. Do not fear.” Luna only shook her head slowly at this, then she shivered as she carefully began to shift herself out of bed, but the Nightmare quickly strode forwards and said quietly: “No, please do not move yet. You are not strong enough... you and Lord Scrivener almost died. I shall have demons bring him here to you, Mistress, and I shall summon the healers and the Dawn Bringer. Selene and Twilight Sparkle will also be eager to see you.” “And what about... my son? Antares Mīrus... and... and Ersatz Major. What of Ersatz Major?” Luna asked quietly, and the Nightmare hesitated... something that told Luna much, as she closed her eyes tightly and fought back a tremble. Then... “Ersatz Major died, and her body was brought with us to Canterlot. I am sure the Dawn Bringer will be able to tell you more.” The Nightmare halted, then added softly: “But do not fear. The Destroyer, Pinkamena, Burning Desire and your loyal servant Hevatica have taken it upon themselves to find a way to... mend this folly.” “Why does that thought not reassure me?” Luna muttered, and then she sighed quietly and prompted: “And Antares? My son? I remember seeing my daughter in those last few moments, I... I have this sense that she is well, but what of my son?” “He has visited.” the Nightmare said after a moment, and Luna frowned at the careful way it spoke, before the smoky mare bowed her head and excused herself quickly with: “I must fetch the healers. I will return shortly, Mistress Luna. Strength to you.” With that, the Nightmare vanished, and Luna sighed despondently, trembling under the thin sheets and not knowing what to think, or what to feel, as she let herself slowly slump back into bed. Her wings fluttered weakly, and her mane spilled around her face, but did nothing to hide the large, thick patch over her head, covering the hollow where a horn had once proudly stood. Top ↑